Identified! PA-Remains Found-Bald Eagle Park, Centre County

[christine2448]

http://www.centredaily.com/news/loca...ry/356858.html

Human remains found in Bald Eagle State Park

Sara Ganim

The skeletal remains of a human were found Wednesday in Bald Eagle State Park.
State police at Rockview said the bones were found in Howard Township about 3:25 p.m. Wednesday. A forensic anthropologist determined the bones were human remains.
Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers said he and the anthropologist’s team sifted through the gravel and dirt and found remains, which Sayers’ office will attempt to identify in the next several months.
“They basically had somebody eye it up,” District Attorney Michael Madeira said. “As I understand it, it’s more bones and bone fragments than it is an actual body.”
Madeira said preliminary indications are the bones had been in Howard Township for a “long, long time.”
“More than five years, but that’s very preliminary,” Madeira said.

There are a number of unsolved missing persons cases in the county, most notably former District Attorney Ray Gricar, who has not been seen since April 15, 2005.

[Ms Suzanne]

Hi
May I please ask you to please keep me updated on this to if you find out anything.

suzanne

[Pandora]

I saw this on the noon news. The anchors were speculating about Ray Gricar &/or Cindy Song.
http://crime.about.com/od/missing/a/song.htm

The quote they (Channel 10) got from the investigator(s) was that the remains were definitely over three years old, possibly more than five. I was hoping for Joey Offut, but the remains wouldn't be that old.

[christine2448]

Originally Posted by Pandora

I was hoping for Joey Offut, but the remains wouldn't be that old.

Thanks, again, Pandora. Same applies with Ray, it won't be him if the remains are that old...can they tell that by just looking?? I wonder what, if any, items, clothing were found with the body. If they are saying on news it could be this or that, and one is M and one is F, then maybe nothing found with remains? No clothes? Jewelry? Shoes?

[Mouse]

http://www.centredaily.com/116/story/358768.html

Reports are now saying that the bones are probably at least 20 years old. Police are saying they bones are unlikely to be from the Gricar, Song, or Condon cases. (Although, given that Brenda Condon disappeared in 1991...given that they haven't had a chance to do more extensive testing yet, and are giving rough estimates, it seems like 1991 might be long enough ago to be in the rough ballpark age estimate.) In any case, seems like they are leaning toward these being remains left behind when a local cemetery was moved.

[SewingDeb]

State Park made me think of Hilton.

[MeoW333]

Originally Posted by SewingDeb

State Park made me think of Hilton.

That's what i was thinking too..

[Ms Suzanne]

Hi
I am very interested in this.Do you have a map of the area these bones were found.Is there a highway or road or something that would lead into Pittsburgh from where the bones were found?

suzanne

[Pandora]

There is a map located at the following site:
http://www.examiner.com/a-1179676~Hu...ania_Headlines

There is video of the park at the following site:
http://www.wjactv.com/news/15137860/...=john&psp=news

As far as the distance from Bellefonte (Ray Gricar's home) and BESP--Total Est. Time: 19 minutes
Total Est. Distance: 13.25 miles

[Ms Suzanne]

Hi
Thankyou.Do they still think the bones were around 20 years old?In 1984 a serial killer Christopher Bernard Wilder I noticed put some of his victims at State Parks,National Monuments and resevoirs.Do they know if any clothing was found on the victim yet.The clothing will probably be way to decayed to see what it looked like.

suzanne

[Pandora]

Word on the street here is that the bones are VERY old. (Apparently some of them were splintered badly.) The opinion on the street is that they are probably from an old cemetary that used to be up in that area. The remains were "all" relocated, but you know how that works. I'm keeping an ear to the ground.

[christine2448]

Originally Posted by Pandora

Word on the street here is that the bones are VERY old. (Apparently some of them were splintered badly.) The opinion on the street is that they are probably from an old cemetary that used to be up in that area. The remains were "all" relocated, but you know how that works. I'm keeping an ear to the ground.

Thanks Pandora! Updates are so appreciated.

[christine2448]

Skeletal remains likely not related to missing persons cases

Human skeletal remains found Wednesday at Bald Eagle State Park are older, so much so that state police said Friday they cannot be connected to recent missing person cases — including the disappearance of former Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar.

The discovery of remains, found by people out for a walk along the lake, sparked speculation Thursday and Friday whether the remains could be those of the missing former prosecutor or two other Centre County missing persons, Penn State student Cindy Song and Spring Township bar tender Brenda Condon.
“We are fairly certain, and all of our preliminary reports from the anthropologist indicates these remains are not going to relate to any of those cases,” said state police Cpl. David Montresor. “The anthropologist believes they are much older. We are fairly certain they have nothing to do with any recent cases.”
The bones and bone fragments were found in an area that is under water most of the year, Montresor said, but became visible when water levels were drawn down during the winter. Investigators are looking into the location of cemeteries that were moved to make way for the dam and lake.
Condon, a mother of two, disappeared from the former Carl’s Bad Tavern in Spring Township, where she was working as a bartender, the night of Feb. 26, 1991. The next morning, her car still was parked outside and her cowboy boots were found in the men’s room.
Hyun Jong “Cindy” Song went out with friends the evening of Oct. 31, 2001, and was dropped off at her apartment at about 4 the next morning. She was never seen again, her purse, driver’s license and credit cards gone with her.


Gricar was months away from retirement when he took off work on April 15, 2005, and told his girlfriend he was taking a drive towards Lewisburg, where his Mini Cooper would be found abandoned, his laptop computer in the nearby Susquehanna River.

http://www.centredaily.com/news/brea...ry/358264.html

[Ms Suzanne]

http://www.lockhaven.com/page/conten....html?nav=5009

BELLEFONTE — State police are quite sure the human bones found last week at Bald Eagle State Park are not connected to any of the “missing persons” investigations that have occurred in this area in the last 20 years.

Preliminary investigations suggest the bones are at least 20 years old and perhaps older, Cpl. Joseph Leiper of the Rockview barracks, said this morning.

The age would likely rule out any connection to missing person cases like Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar or Kathy Dolan Heckel, a Mill Hall woman who was last seen on July 14, 1991 as she was leaving Hammermill Paper Co.

Leiper also said there’s been some speculation that the bones might have been left behind when the old Schenck Cemetery was moved and the Foster Joseph Sayers Dam was built near Howard in the 1960s to create the recreational lake and flood control system.

“That’s also unlikely,” he said. “I would believe they were very thorough in transferring those remains, because of the controversy that occurred at the time,” he said.

“The anthropologist will be better able to tell us several months from now where they originated, but for now, we just don’t know ... We are very confident, however, that it’s not one of those missing people,” he said.

The bones were found Wednesday afternoon in the beach area by a passer-by who notified authorities, police said.

The area where the bones were found is under water most of the year, police said. The water levels are drawn down during winter as part of the Army Corps of Engineers flood control system.

[Ms Suzanne]

Hi
Has any one heard any more on this?

suzanne

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

The most recent news I can find matches what you posted above on the 29th ... that preliminary tests show the bones being at least 20 years old.

Here's a piece from an article from last week:

Police: Bones more than 20 years old | The Express

... Leiper also said there’s been some speculation that the bones might have been left behind when the old Schenck Cemetery was moved and the Foster Joseph Sayers Dam was built near Howard in the 1960s to create the recreational lake and flood control system.

“That’s also unlikely,” he said. “I would believe they were very thorough in transferring those remains, because of the controversy that occurred at the time,” he said.

“The anthropologist will be better able to tell us several months from now where they originated, but for now, we just don’t know ... We are very confident, however, that it’s not one of those missing people,” he said...

[Angie4b1g]

Well that's frustrating. Just because they are over 20 years old doesn't mean they aren't related to a missing person's case! I hope they still try to figure out who they belong to!

[Ms Suzanne]

Hi
Thankyou for keeping us updated on this.Is there any more news?

suzanne

[InterestedNHelping]

they need a DNA extraction, because the surviving families still give DNA to find missing members up to 100 years in cold cases...Gosh I hope they DNA and run it for a match to current families...I am working some very very cold cases, but loved ones want to know!

Anything new? thanks

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

From an article posted above:

“The anthropologist will be better able to tell us several months from now where they originated, but for now, we just don’t know ... We are very confident, however, that it’s not one of those missing people,” he said..."

My guess is that there won't be any news on this for quite some time.

[christine2448]

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive...ncient_in.aspx



Human bones found in a local state park last month have been determined to be those of two Native American individuals buried between 100 and 700 years ago.
The bones were found Jan. 23 in Bald Eagle State Park, about 40 minutes from Penn State. Although the discovery sparked discussion that the bones may have belonged to past high-profile disappearances, including former Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar and Penn State student Cindy Song, authorities were quickly able to determine the bones were much older.
The bones were sent to forensic anthropologist Dennis Dirkmaat, of Mercyhurst College in Erie, for analysis.

[Cubby]

Identified as anceint indian remains.